Muhammad Nayeemuddin was dubbed the most wanted gangster in Telangana. A rowdy sheeter, Nayeemuddin's encounter with two top Maoist leaders in prison led him to joining the movement.
Later, the cops lured him and turned him into an informant. This affair, however, did not last long. He was soon out of the clutches of police and went on to become one the most elusive gangsters in Telangana.
Nayeemuddin was wanted in more than 100 cases of which more than 20 are murder cases. Among the many cases is the murder of IPS officer K.S. Vyas. He was also the main accused in the murder of gangster Patola Goverdhan Reddy in December 2011.
He was linked to the murder of surrendered ex-naxalites Sambashiva Rao and Konapuri Ramulu, civil liberties leader Purshottam and balladeer Belli Lalitha. He had reportedly helped the police to nab Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife who were later killed in by Gujarat Police in 2005.
Nayeemuddin, son of a driver who worked in the electricity department, was involved in settling land issues, blackmail. There are rumours that he acted as a hitman as well.
He had escaped police custody as many as 11 times and was adept at staying away from public and the law. Only once was he spotted attending the wedding of a close relative.
Not surprisingly, the police did not try too hard to nab this elusive gangster as they feared that he would expose them. However, of late, he was getting out of hand and so, the cops, with the help of Greyhounds, the elite group trained to fight Maoists on any given terrain, took him down. He was at his friend Basha's house in the Millenium Township at Shadnagar in Mahbubnagar, around 50km from Hyderabad when he was murdered in exchange fire.
The police said they were forced to open fire after Nayeemuddin's bodyguard shot at them. Three people—Nayeemuddin, his bodyguard and a woman—were killed in the encounter. Further investigation is underway.
